York Crown Court Sentencing Results

On Christmas Eve morning, 24 December 2023, Melissa Duncan broke into a couple's home in Ivy Cottages, Northallerton, while they were out walking their dog. She entered through an insecure front door and stole jewellery worth £500, prescription medication, and other items, leaving dog biscuits on the sofa. The female victim later suffered a hypoglycaemic attack from shock. Shortly afterwards, Duncan broke into a man's home in Clarkson Court while he slept. Confronted by the victim, she claimed to be a care worker and during a struggle left behind a carrier bag containing the stolen items from the first burglary along with the victim's coin collection. The same morning she also stole £40 from her former partner's wallet at his home in Springwell Lane. When arrested later that day, she pulled a knife and threatened self-harm. Duncan had 76 previous offences for burglary, drug crime, and theft.

Michael Boyes subjected his ex-partner to controlling and coercive behaviour and physical abuse, including strangling her, locking her out of her home so she had to sleep in her car, and isolating her from friends and family. The victim reported suffering complex post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the abuse.

Shaun Andrew Finley and Stephen William Case carried out 22 high-value burglaries at new build housing developments between 1 June and 15 December 2020, targeting properties in Dishforth, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Killinghall, and Kirk Hammerton. They stole newly installed boilers, furniture, and building equipment, causing losses exceeding £143,000 and disruption to homebuyers and developers. They used cloned registration plates and registered vehicles in innocent people's names to avoid detection. The investigation by North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Expedite identified them through CCTV, ANPR data, and patterns in the burglaries.

Shaun Andrew Finley and Stephen William Case carried out 22 high-value burglaries at new build housing developments between 1 June and 15 December 2020, targeting properties in Dishforth, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Killinghall, and Kirk Hammerton. They stole newly installed boilers, furniture, and building equipment, causing losses exceeding £143,000 and disruption to homebuyers and developers. They used cloned registration plates and registered vehicles in innocent people's names to avoid detection. The investigation by North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Expedite identified them through CCTV, ANPR data, and patterns in the burglaries.

On 11 March 2019, Victor Okumu, 38, targeted Bradley’s jewellers in Market Row, Northallerton. Wearing a blue boiler suit and a crash helmet with the visor down, he wedged the door open and jumped over the counter to confront staff. In the violent struggle, a staff member received a cut to her hand, which later required surgery, before Okumu fled with nearly £442,000 of jewellery. He was later arrested at a hotel in Fareham, Hampshire, where detectives found rings valued at £212,000. The remaining £229,640 worth of jewellery is still outstanding. The ordeal left staff feeling unsafe and with a fear of attack from men in helmets and work clothes.